Ervin Santana Trade Hinges On Saunders, Colon

Today comes word from Halos Heaven that any deal of righty Ervin Santana will hinge on the performances of Bartolo Colon and Joe Saunders.

Slowed by a couple of surgeries in his career, Saunders is putting it together in Triple A for the first time. He’s got a 2.51 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 13 starts this year. He’d slot into the rotation in place of Santana. The Angels can deal from their strength, as this rotation could become:

Bartolo ColonJohn LackeyKelvim EscobarJered WeaverJoe Saunders

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That is a deep group, with Jeff Weaver serving as a tolerable sixth starter for the rest of the season. He’s been decent in two starts this month, but could end up in the ’pen. The Halos can have Saunders and Jeff Weaver competing for the fifth starter spot.

Halos Heaven mentions Carl Crawford, Torii Hunter, and Vernon Wells as targets of Bill Stoneman. Stoneman has also had Alfonso Soriano, Manny Ramirez, Miguel Tejada, and Miguel Cabrera in his sights for months. It certainly seems that the Angels, currently five games back in the West, will acquire a big bat before the trading deadline.